The Power of a Musical Experience
Have you
ever been to a concert of any kind and found yourself so swept away by the
music that you loose yourself entire in the sound? An experience so powerful
that it can bring you to tears. It leaves the mind exasperated and the body
numb to reality. All that remains true is the sound that envelops you. I’ve
been to many shows, performances, and concerts; having found these intense
moments in quite a few of them. One of the most recent and most powerful would
be when I engineered the recording of the Cardinal Chorale’s performance this
past semester.
It was my
first time engineering a recording of a choir, let alone the Cardinal Chorale,
so I was not aware how powerful their voices can become. Upon testing the
levels, they practiced a song that they would be performing that evening. They
struck a chord that made the walls of the chapel vibrate with emotion. Perhaps
it was simply the perfect environment for the song that brought it to life, or
was it the performers? I didn’t have much time to meditate on this as I
shuffled around the chapel adjusting microphone placements and heights. All I
could do was eagerly await that song for the performance. As I took recordings
of their practices, I found myself so bewildered by this activity involving
music and its sheer power from the large number of singers. I had heard choirs
in church while growing up over the years, but never one so pristine and
practiced as the UIW Chorale.
The concert
began after I took my seat near the front, finally ready to record. The chapel
had filled up with strangers and familiar faces, all eager to hear what was to
come. I recorded song after song, constantly checking levels and adjusting
gains, all while wearing a clunky pair of headphones. Finally that special song
started, a beautiful piece that combined the Kyrie with Amazing Grace. I had to
take off my headphones when those chords bolted from the choir and suddenly I
was not sitting surrounded by my recording equipment, but by an audience so
swept up in song that many were weeping. Even I couldn’t help but tear up at
the passionate crescendos and swells of the choir. The aesthetics of their
sound were close to what I would imagine heaven to sound like, the air
vibrating so beautifully with the sound of all these souls praising their
creator.
It was one
of the most beautiful sounds I’ve heard; the piece still haunts my ears. It
left me in awe of what the human voice can do when united with so many others. The
piano accompaniment was also phenomenal, as it blended so well with the choir
of voices. The material culture of piano and voice can harmonize and balance so
wonderfully for the chorale. It may have been my first time hearing them, but
it will certainly not be the last. The power of music is awe-inspiring, and I
will forever cherish that moment in time.